“Lola and Lala sound like Muppets that teach you about co-operation,” Lourdes said.
“Lola’s sexy. Lourdes is your aunt with a hairy chin.”
“It’s my name.”
As they argued, Neeka said, “Your mom sent me to deal with your phone.”
“Really?” Jared said.
“Do you want to come and pick out a new one?” Neeka said.
“I’m kind of brainless today. The same model is fine.”
“Okay, so help us clean Olive’s apartment.”
“Sure.”
Neeka smiled at Mave. “Catch up on your writing. Ignore the world.”
“I appreciate this so much.” Mave went to the kitchen table and grabbed a set of apartment keys she handed to Neeka.
He stuck his feet in his sneakers then followed Neeka down the hallway to Olive’s old place. The twins walked behind them, quiet for once, Lourdes/Lola’s dress rustling. Neeka opened the door. Jared listened for Bob or Dead Aiden but didn’t hear them.
“I don’t know if I’ll be any good helping you banish Dead Aiden,” Jared said.
Neeka said, “We’ve bound him to the apartment building. He won’t last much longer the way he’s burning through his energy.”
“Okay,” Jared said. “Then you really do want me to clean?”
“Your mother asked me to put more security on you,” Neeka said. “Meet your bodyguards.”
“Oh, come on,” Jared said.
“I don’t get anything off him,” Lala said. “Are you sure he’s a Trickster?”
Lourdes/Lola moved in close and sniffed. “Underneath the regular stuff, he smells like a summer day just before a thunderstorm.”
“Like lightning,” Neeka agreed. To Jared, she said, “They’re going to taste your blood now.”
“Ew.”
“We’re not thrilled about it either,” Lala said.
Neeka rummaged through her purse and brought out some alcohol wipes, a box of bandages and a pocket knife, which she flipped open and wiped clean.
“Hand,” Neeka said, and Jared stuck out his arm.
She swabbed and then pricked his pinky finger, scraping off a tiny drop for Lala and then another one for Lourdes. They swished it in their mouths as though they were tasting wine. Neeka swabbed the pinprick again and put a Band-Aid over it. She brought out two tiny zip-lock bags and clipped a little of his hair into them, giving one to each of the girls. Then she brought out nail clippers and trimmed his nails into another zip-lock bag. She finished one hand and then gestured for him to give her his other.
“We don’t need that many parings,” Lourdes said.
“I know,” Neeka said. “But I need to even him up. It’s bugging me.”
“She has control issues,” Lala said.
“Kinda noticed,” Jared said. “Are we done?”
“Lala, you take the bathroom. Lourdes, you are on kitchen duty. Jared, you’re coming with me to get the Rug Doctor.”
“Come on!” Lala said. “I thought cleaning was just a cover! I’m not a fucking maid!”
“That’s not what I signed up for!” Lourdes said.
Neeka went still. She quirked an eyebrow.
“Fine,” Lala said. “Waste years of martial arts training and weaponry expertise on scrubbing the fucking toilet.”
“I need to go home to change,” Lourdes said.
“I told you the plan and I told you to dress appropriately,” Neeka said. “You do your job. Now.”
Lourdes bit her lips until they disappeared.
“I’ll check your work when I get back, so don’t bother slacking off. You will do it as many times as it takes to get it right. Jared, let’s go. We’re wasting daylight.”
—
Neeka attracted attention even with her hair in a messy ponytail and wearing her cleaning grubbies, as she called them—tattered sweatpants and an off-the-shoulder T-shirt. A gangly, pale clerk at Safeway ran to them when he saw Neeka studying the rug-cleaning machines. He upgraded her to the large one and threw in more carpet shampoo at no extra cost.
“Thank you, Greg,” Neeka said. “You’ve been most helpful.”
“Any time,” Greg said. “I wrote my home phone number on the back of the receipt in case, you know, you need help with the deep cleaning.”
“I appreciate that,” Neeka said, and Greg lugged the cleaner to the minivan for them then lifted it into the back.
Neeka smiled and Greg wiggled like a happy dog. As soon as they drove away, her smile dropped.
Jared watched the passing scenery as they drove to the cellphone store.
“I like you,” Neeka said. “I don’t like many people.”
“Okay,” Jared said. “I’m sensing a ‘but.’ ”
“The world is becoming unstable. We feel it the way humans feel the wind. I’m doing my best to prepare my family. I think you could help us survive.”
“I don’t know how much use I’d be.”
“You aren’t strong, that’s true. You aren’t the smartest person in the room. But you were willing to bleed yourself of everything to keep Eliza safe, and she’s not even your kid. That’s rare.”
Jared had thought she had got him alone in order to lay down the law. He turned to her, confused.
“I’d like to keep you alive,” Neeka said. “But you need to tell me when people like David target you.”
“All right. Yesterday, Aiden shoved me down the stairs,” Jared said. “He’s mad about Eliza leaving.”
“Thank you,” Neeka said. “I’ll take care of Aiden. Is there anyone else you’ve noticed? Anyone that sets off your alarms?”
“Well, there’s this girl. It seems random when I bump into her. I don’t get anything off her. I mean, I don’t hear magic. Like you are a little stream. Bubbling. And Mom growls.”
“Why does she bother you?”
“She says she knows me. That we hooked up when I was still partying in Kitimat. But I’d remember her. We’ve bumped into each other three times now.”
“Does Party Girl have a name?”
“Mallory.”
Neeka cut across two lanes of traffic to pull into a bus stop. A series of angry honks followed them. She gripped the wheel as if she was about to hulk out.
“Show me her face,” she said.
Jared pictured the girl with the large eyes wearing her rose-painted leather jacket.
Neeka’s rage was not like his mother’s, all curdled and spastic when it washed over you. Neeka’s was cold, like a polar bear dip when you mean to go in up to your knees but slip and dunk your
